Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), and Paul Carcaterra (sideline) (ESPN) Noah Reed (play-by-play) and Charles Arbuckle (analyst) (ESPN Radio)
Consistent with conference tie-ins, the game featured the Texas Tech Red Raiders from the Big 12 Conference and the Arkansas Razorbacks from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). This was the 38th meeting between the Red Raiders and Razorbacks; Arkansas led the series with a 29–8 record in their prior meetings.[5] It was the teams' first meeting since 2015.[5] The teams were once conference mates in the Southwest Conference (SWC), which Arkansas left after the 1991 season, then dissolved after the 1995 season.
Texas Tech made their second appearance in the Liberty Bowl, having won their only previous appearance in the 2021 edition. The Red Raiders, led by third-year head coach Joey McGuire, finished the regular season with an overall record of 8–4 with a Big 12 record of 6–3. On December 14, Texas Tech announced that starting quarterback Behren Morton would miss the game due to shoulder surgery.[6] True freshman Will Hammond was named the Red Raiders' starter for the bowl game.[7]
Arkansas made their seventh appearance in the Liberty Bowl, the most by any team to this point in time, having compiled a 3–3 record in prior appearances. The Razorbacks, led by fifth-year head coach Sam Pittman, finished the regular season with an overall record of 6–6 with a SEC record of 3–5.